Mini Tarte flambee to celebrate Bastille Day

Not quite pizza. Not quite tart. A delicious treat from the Alsace region of France and neighboring areas, Tarte Flambee is a type of flatbread traditionally shaped as a rectangle and smothered with fromage blanc, crème fraiche, thinly sliced onions and strips of fatty bacon. Its name translates to “pie baked in the flames” and it’s the thing to have in summer with a chilled glass of white wine.

It’s also the perfect recipe to enjoy with a refreshing salad on Bastille Day, the French version of Independence Day taking place tomorrow July 14th. Here’s our take on it with ingredients that are more easily available in our supermarket.

Mini Tarte Flambee

Fresh pizza dough

Flour to roll dough

4oz Cream cheese

3/4 Cup of gruyere cheese, shredded

½ Cup of crème fraiche

4 sliced of deli ham (Jambon de Paris, Polish ham or bacon works too)

2 Cups of mixed wild mushrooms, chopped

½ Large onion, sliced

Olive oil

Cast iron skillet

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Sprinkle some flour on your table and rolling pin and roll dough thinly into a square shape. You can also make smaller, personal size portions. Make dimples on the dough with your fingers.

2. Cook the onions on a few drops of olive oil until translucent. Don’t let them get golden brown since they will continue cooking in the oven.

3. On the same pan, cook the ham for a couple of minutes. Then, cook the mushrooms for a couple of minutes as well.

4. Put the cream cheese in the microwave for a few seconds to soften. Mix with crème fraiche and gruyere.

5. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil on the cast iron skillet. Place dough and let it get slightly golden. Flip the dough and smother cheese mix on pizza. Evenly spread the onions, ham, and mushrooms.